8 ms·

Ask HN: What are some open source projects that a beginner can work on?

131 points by thatsnotme 12y ago

Please link to the GitHub pages or the repo page, and also mention the prerequisites.

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mikkel 12y ago
http://www.codetriage.com/ http://www.codetriage.com/ lets you view projects by the number of open issues. I'm not sure how to gauge the beginner-friendliness of the projects.
kevinaloys 12y ago
http://www.openhatch.com http://www.openhatch.com A website for ongoing opensource projects in python.
- keithxm23 12y ago
  They're a great resource, not limited to python projects though. Besides providing help on choosing a project, they also coach you on how to approach an open source project and what to expect in the open source world. They have a bunch of talks regarding the same which are worth checking out.
eatitraw 12y ago
I have an online friend who contributes to firefox. They are fairly beginner-friendly, though you probably need to have some C++ skills. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/contribute/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/contribute/
- k__ 12y ago
  I contributed to Firefox. The Mozilla guys are awesome. But if you are used to Github/PRs their Bugzilla/Hg-Patches workflow feels like going back in time... way back to the old days.
  - jordigh 12y ago
    Ignore anything about MQ. They have old docs on using MQ that we've been trying to wean them away from. Modern hg is far better than MQ, and in some situations, better than git. You can edit, you can rebase, you can amend, you can evolve.
    - k__ 12y ago
      MQ?
      - jordigh 12y ago
        Mercurial queues. I thought that's what you meant with "patches".
        k__ 12y ago
        Ah yes. MQ was the plugin used to create those patches, now I remember. They stopped using? Even on the main Firefox repo?
        jordigh 12y ago
        Like git, Linux, Mercurial, and gcc development, they have a patch-based code review flow, but MQ is not needed to produce the patches that they expect. You can do the same without MQ, and they will never know the difference on their end. I actually rather like email-based code review. It's really easy to keep editing and rebasing your patch while people comment on it. If Mercurial Evolve picks up, this will be an awesome new way to work, especially if Kallithea or Bitbucket grows the features to support it. However, current Mozilla development, AIUI, is moving towards ReviewBoard, although I have heard a growing mutinous group in Mozilla who just wants to chuck all homegrown solutions and slap all of their code on github like everyone else.
  - indygreg2 12y ago
    We know. One of those things that was established 10+ years ago and has a lot of built-up inertia keeping it going. It's part of my job role at Mozilla to bring this process into modernity. We're getting there. Slowly. GitHub pull requests will be supported in some form. Hopefully by July.
- deleted 12y ago
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- jgraham 12y ago
  You absolutely don't need C++ skills to contribute to Mozilla. They are of course required to contribute to gecko, but that's only one possible contribution option. Others are: * Firefox UI and devtools. Written in a combination of js, HTML and XUL, with some C++ in the backend. * Automation and tools. Mostly Python-based, this is the infrastructure used to test Firefox and related projects. * Servo. The next-generation browser engine being written in Rust. * Gaia UI. The Firefox OS interface and associated apps. All written in JS + HTML. * Firefox for Android UI. Written in Java like other android apps. * Various web tools. Typically written in HTML + JS + Python, but backends differ (there's an increasing amount of node.js, Bugzilla is in Perl, etc.) * QA and testing. Writing testcases for the web platform and other browser features. Typically requires HTML and JS skills, and well as the ability (for Platform tests at least) to read specifications. * MDN. Documentation of Mozilla projects and the Web platform. Requires writing (not necessarily in English!) and good technical understanding. That's just off the top of my head, I'm sure that there are a bunch more projects someone will be annoyed I've missed ;) There's a more detailed list of the projects by technology at [1]. I like to believe that Mozilla is quite good at welcoming new contributors; it's certainly something we work at, although there are of course always opportunities to improve. There's a page of getting-started tutorials at [2], a database of bugs with assigned mentors grouped by technology at [3], and a dedicated irc channel #introduction on irc.mozilla.org. It is true that not every Mozilla project uses a familiar GitHub workflow, but it true that many recent projects do. For example Servo and Gaia are both fully GitHub-centric. For the more aged projects using Mercurial, we are in the process of moving from a patch-based workflow to a more modern branch-based one, with review in ReviewBoard. So there is still a learning curve there, but it's at least getting better. And finally — because this is my own special interest — if you are tired of web browsers having troublesome incompatibilities and want to be part of the solution, consider contributing to the open-source web-platform-tests testsuite at the W3C [4], [5]. This is a expanding repository of tests covering the open web that are being run against every single commit to Gecko (and Servo!) so that the developers are aware of implementation errors before they become interoperability issues. [1] http://www.whatcanidoformozilla.org/ http://www.whatcanidoformozilla.org/ [2] http://codefirefox.com/ http://codefirefox.com/ [3] http://www.joshmatthews.net/bugsahoy/ http://www.joshmatthews.net/bugsahoy/ [4] https://github.com/w3c/web-platform-tests https://github.com/w3c/web-platform-tests [5] http://testthewebforward.org http://testthewebforward.org
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workonononon 12y ago
http://www.freesbd.org/ http://www.freesbd.org/ A fun open source operating system. Some C knowledge required.
- smhenderson 12y ago
  Your link is off[1]. For their guidelines on submitting and viewing existing bugs start here[2]. http://www.freebsd.org http://www.freebsd.org https://www.freebsd.org/support.html https://www.freebsd.org/support.html
- honest_joe 12y ago
  You say some C knowledge required when we are talking about a complicated UNIX kernel. right..."some"knowledge is really required...
  - workonononon 12y ago
    There is a userspace too, if you find kernels scary. In reality though, the kernel is simpler than userspace in some ways. The website could also use work. That's HTML/JS, you don't need kernel or C experience.
jordigh 12y ago
I find Mercurial very easy to work with. You just need to know some 2.x Python. Here's the repo: http://selenic.com/hg http://selenic.com/hg And here's their list of easy bugs: http://bz.selenic.com/buglist.cgi?keywords=easy&list_id=5790 http://bz.selenic.com/buglist.cgi?keywords=easy&list_id=5790 Contributor guidlines: http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/ContributingChanges http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/ContributingChanges If you're interested, I could mentor you through some of it. Edit: Oh, and this appears to be our April Fool's Prank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtAuQXeQrMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtAuQXeQrMQ
MaxGabriel 12y ago
I strongly recommend trying to contribute to a project that you personally use. Once you've been using it for awhile, you'll be better equipped to make changes to it + you'll maybe find bugs that you can fix. While you're doing this, mark yourself as a watcher of the project on Github, that way you can see bug reports come in and maybe fix them. You can try to contribute to just any project someone here suggests, but I find it hard to get motivated + be skilled enough in that language/project to just start contributing. Can you talk about your current skills and what kind of languages/libraries you're using now, or are interested in learning?
- thatsnotme 12y ago
  I know C and also Javascript/jQuery/CSS/HTML and I want to work on a project, so as to apply what I've learnt into something that is actually useful.
  - creichert 12y ago
    I strongly agree with MaxGabriel. I find it difficult to make meaningful contributions to projects which I don't use or have some familiarity with. I am significantly more motivated to make contributions to projects which I have invested my time in. My advice is to start small. Look into making documentation updates and fixing bugs you find in projects you currently use. Expand your open source toolset as you build more and repeat the process.
  - markvdb 12y ago
    I see a lot of good general advice, but not too many specific examples. Here's a very specific one... If you want to do C and get an introduction to a bit of arm assembly, you may want to contribute a new model build to CHDK, the Canon Hack Developer Kit. There are always new models out that need support, like the Canon PowerShot Elph(US)/Ixus(EU) 160. See http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Porting http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Porting for some hints to get started. The CHDK core devs are really friendly and often available on IRC and forums. That helps a lot.
ywecur 12y ago
This Hacker News app for Android is relatively small and readable, plus it would be great to get some more contribution going. Look into it. https://github.com/dinosaurwithakatana/hacker-news-android https://github.com/dinosaurwithakatana/hacker-news-android
- Dewie 12y ago
  Great! My shadow ban has been kind of subtle on the normal (desktop) HN version, but it was kind of too obvious on the mobile version. I think HN can do much better passive aggressive-wise, and waste people's time even more, on the mobile version. I intend to delve into that code base so that the mobile version can be as cryptic and still-works-but-kind-of-stand-off-ish like the desktop, with random long loading times, "you're submitting too fast" messages, shadow banned comments, etc. Again, thanks for bringing that to my attention! Passive aggressive bans will soon be a force on mobile, too!
pbreit 12y ago
Web2py Python framework was in fact originally created by a professor to assist in education. I'm a total novice and my contributions have been welcomed warmly. https://github.com/web2py/web2py/ https://github.com/web2py/web2py/
ridiculous_fish 12y ago
The answer is "all of them!" ESR wrote "Every good work of software starts by scratching a developer's personal itch." You'll be much more effective working on a program that you use and want to make better, compared to a beginner-friendly project that you have no interest in. Instead of looking externally for projects, look inwards. Think about the software you already use, and how it could be better: that stupid annoying behavior, or that obvious improvement, or your idea for a cool feature. And then set your sights on that! An example: I was a big fan of the game Angband, which I played on Mac OS 9. When OS X came out, I wanted to play Angband again. So I "carbonized" it, so I (and others) could play it on OS X. I had never carbonized a program before, and that's how I learned. I apologize for not really answering the question, but I have known aspiring programmers give up because they got bored. "Not being bored" is really important, more important than "not being frustrated."
- joe_the_user 12y ago
  This is seriously not true. I've had experiences of projects I tried to get involved because I liked the software but where the maintainer had zero interest in involving any new people. It's lovely that developers scratch itches and create cool software - there isn't anything that implies those same people want to work with other new people. I'm glad you had a good experience and maybe I was unlucky or whatever but I don't think mere interest in the software is enough, the project has to be in a state where the developers want other programmers involved (lots of projects would like some testers and documenters but nothing else and to an extent understandably). I mean, I'm not sure why guidance towards accessible projects is a bad thing. Edit: Oh I knew I'd get reactions. Counter-arguments? A lot of professional software teams have a hard time adding new people. Why would any old open source project be easy to get involved with? Edit2: I love the idea of open source, I want to get involved again in a larger project when I have time but the "no problems" guidance approach seems itself a problem. Lots of projects are even infamous for problems. There's clearly more to what project you'd be a fit for than "what you love" and just leaving that as the advice seems like a characteristic problem of open source itself.
  - mordocai 12y ago
chatmasta 12y ago
Does anyone have a good writeup on the workflow for contributing to open source Python projects? I often fix small bugs, but it's a pain because I usually install via pip, then when I realize there is a bug, and fixing it myself is the fastest way to resolve it, I have to go out of my way to do so. I have to remove the pip package, fork the original repo, clone it into the repository of my current project (where I would rather it not be) and load it directly as a module. Then I can edit the source code, find the bug, fix, commit, and pull request. But at that point my project's code depends on its own local copy of the buggy repo until the upstream repo finally merges the fix (if ever). If anyone has a better workflow for fixing ad hoc bugs you discover while integrating an open source library into your project, I would love to hear it.
- kmike84 12y ago
  If you have a public repository anywhere (e.g. you've forked a project on github) then you can add a specific git commit to the requirements instead of pypi version. See https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/reference/pip_install.html#vcs-support https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/reference/pip_install.html#vcs...
  - chatmasta 12y ago
    Exactly what I was looking for. This is why I come to HN. Very clever. Thanks.
thisjustinm 12y ago
GovCode helps you find US Government open source projects at https://www.govcode.org/ https://www.govcode.org/ You can filter by language and see open issues.
metajack 12y ago
The Servo project[1] has a constantly maintained list of bugs and features appropriate for new contributors, and several people willing to mentor if needed. There is so much low hanging fruit building a new browser engine, that there is plenty of stuff to work on even if you aren't yet an expert on browser engines. Also, you get to use a new programming language :) [1] https://github.com/servo/servo https://github.com/servo/servo
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kinduff 12y ago
https://www.openhub.net/ https://www.openhub.net/ it's a great site to search projects in any language
dataker 12y ago
I'd first learn git basics and start my own 'testing' repos. Then, I'd start contributing to certain frameworks, libraries, modules/gems I use in my own side-projects. Regardless, the rule of thumb is to not be afraid of contributing. As a beginner, that's usually the biggest issue.
henrik_w 12y ago
Ned Batchelder has a good page with "Kindling projects" http://nedbatchelder.com/text/kindling.html http://nedbatchelder.com/text/kindling.html
BrianEatWorld 12y ago
My first experience with an open source project was just a small github repo for a library I wanted to use. I noticed some TODOs in the code and fleshed them out. Even now, the repo only has four contributors, but the others were quite helpful when I had questions. I have yet to move onto a big project, but it was a nice introduction to that kind of distributed coordination needed for open source repos.
awwstn 12y ago
The Assembly (http://assembly.com http://assembly.com) community is a great way to get involved in building products. The community builds businesses together, and everyone shares ownership based on what they've contributed. (also, it's all open sourced under AGPL). It can be a great way to expand your skills as a developer and also to gain experience working with designers and solving problems around growth, product positioning, pricing, and all sorts of other things. [disclosure: I work at Assembly -- happy to answer any questions: austin@assembly.com]
brylie 12y ago
We are building a collaborative platform for creating open educational resources, called Crowducate. We have many ways to get involved such as testing, planning new features, outreach, translation, and a few JavaScript tasks. Our sourcecode is on Github: https://github.com/Crowducate/crowducate-next https://github.com/Crowducate/crowducate-next Planning documents are on Hackpad: https://crowducate.hackpad.com https://crowducate.hackpad.com
amjith 12y ago
I am the author of pgcli. (https://github.com/amjith/pgcli/ https://github.com/amjith/pgcli/) It is written in Python and it is being actively developed. You can find some notes on getting started with development here: http://pgcli.com/develop http://pgcli.com/develop It is a command line client for Postgres database. I'll be more than happy to answer questions or help you get started. My email is amjith.r [at] gmail. Feel free to get in touch.
corbinpage 12y ago
Ruby gems are a good example, especially gems that provide hooks into an API. Even if you're just adding another parameter to an existing endpoint (which is largely a copy/paste exercise), it's a great way to learn the structure of a gem, learn your way around API documentation, and check out others' best practices and unit tests. I contributed to the official Instagram gem during my first few weeks of learning Ruby. https://github.com/Instagram/instagram-ruby-gem https://github.com/Instagram/instagram-ruby-gem Prereqs: Ruby, API basics
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malexi5 12y ago
Mozilla.org is always looking for web developers to contribute and beginners are always welcome. This wiki page gives an overview of how to get started and a list of "good first bugs." https://wiki.mozilla.org/Webdev/GetInvolved/mozilla.org https://wiki.mozilla.org/Webdev/GetInvolved/mozilla.org
BorisMelnik 12y ago
One thing a lot of people don't realize is you don't have to be a developer to work on open source products. You can do design work (logos, branding) and lots of other stuff. Documentation is endless, and not just technical documentation there are a lot of features that just need to be explained in plain English (or plenty of other languages as well)
jlukic 12y ago
I agree it can be difficult getting into the social conventions of a project. I try to keep a list of places that people can contribute effectively in the readme for my project. https://github.com/Semantic-Org/Semantic-UI/#places-to-help https://github.com/Semantic-Org/Semantic-UI/#places-to-help
sytse 12y ago
For GitLab we have a list of items that are marked 'accepting merge/pull requests' on http://feedback.gitlab.com/forums/176466-general/status/796455 http://feedback.gitlab.com/forums/176466-general/status/7964... There are more than 180 items, including things that should be relatively easy for a Rails programmer. For more information see https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/master/CONTRIBU...
aleem 12y ago
Start with a project you use or depend on in your own projects. It's probably best to start by enhancing or adding a feature on that project. Other things to look for is a project that is managed by people who a receptive to pull requests and have accepted them routinely. Also look for projects that have lot of issues open and closing on a routine basis--this will mean the project is in active development. This will keep you motivated and provide you with some good mentors who may accept or suggest improvements to your pull requests. Along the way you will probably learn about forking repos, writing good commits, sending pull requests and most of all, contributing code. More mature projects have a lot of tooling such as running unit tests, adhering to coding standards, etc which can create hurdles to entry bfor beginners but if you do venture forth with these you'll develop some great habits.
r0naa 12y ago
I strongly recommend taking a look to bugs ahoy maintained by some amazing people at the Mozilla Foundation. It's a great way to start contributing to a large codebase by solving some "easy" bugs. Check it out http://www.joshmatthews.net/bugsahoy/ http://www.joshmatthews.net/bugsahoy/
ben_straub 12y ago
If you read something in Pro Git that could be better, or if you find a mistake, we're taking contributions at https://github.com/progit/progit2 https://github.com/progit/progit2. The only requirement is that you agree to license your contribution under the CC BY-NC-SA license.
ksenzee 12y ago
I would look at the list of projects Google has accepted for Google Summer of Code (https://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/org/list/public/google/gsoc2015 https://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/org/list/public/google/g...). They should all be mature enough to have established protocols for newcomers, and with luck they'll be friendly enough for you to feel welcome. (Drupal is on that list, and as a contributor I can certainly vouch for it in both those areas.)
- brlcad 12y ago
  Even better, I would recommend looking at the Google Code-In organizations. Those communities are specifically set up to deal with new inexperienced contributors whereas many GSoC orgs simply are not: https://www.google-melange.com/gci/org/list/public/google/gci2014 https://www.google-melange.com/gci/org/list/public/google/gc... The GCI orgs all have loads of tiny tasks spelled out that can be completed in less than a day too.
greghendershott 12y ago
I sometimes put a `help-wanted` tag on GitHub issues I think are especially well-bounded items someone could contribute. It looks like other people use that tag, too: https://github.com/search?l=&p=2&q=state%3Aopen+label%3Ahelp-wanted&ref=advsearch&type=Issues&utf8=%E2%9C%93 https://github.com/search?l=&p=2&q=state%3Aopen+label%3Ahelp... You can further filter that by language, or other criteria.
sfilipov 12y ago
If that is something that interests you, I would recommend Django and it's "easy pickings": https://code.djangoproject.com/query?status=!closed&easy=1 https://code.djangoproject.com/query?status=!closed&easy=1
blooberr 12y ago
I was asked this same question awhile back and I recommended Fluentd: https://github.com/fluent/fluentd https://github.com/fluent/fluentd It's in ruby, very easy to understand, and also extremely useful. You can also extend it with plugins, which is simple for a beginner to pick up.
andrey-p 12y ago
This could be a pretty good idea for a recurring post, a la Who's Hiring. Probably less regular I guess.
aepearson 12y ago
Is there a reason you want to work on an open source project? If you're a beginner, why not start your own project based on something you personally need?
icanberk 12y ago
If you have some knowledge of web-apps, you can work on: https://github.com/autolab/Autolab https://github.com/autolab/Autolab
gorkemcetin 12y ago
I'd suggest projects based on Javascript or a similar easy to learn language, which lowers down the barrier to entry. You may want to check Countly (http://github.com/countly/countly-server http://github.com/countly/countly-server), a mobile analytics and push notifications platform.
brlcad 12y ago
The open source projects that participate in Google Code-In (GCI) cater to beginners with little to no experience: https://www.google-melange.com/gci/org/list/public/google/gci2014 https://www.google-melange.com/gci/org/list/public/google/gc... For GCI, they have to maintain lists of tiny tasks that can be completed in just a few hours. You don't have to be participating in GCI to work on those tasks. They will also have people in their community interested in helping you. Source: I'm the admin for one of the GCI orgs.
socceroos 12y ago
Come and work on mine. Realty Manager on Github
geofft 12y ago
What are you interested in? What languages have you used before? What OS do you run on your desktop?
geofft 12y ago
What are you interested in? What languages have you used before? What OS do you run on your desktop?
amorphid 12y ago
I've had a lot of fun working with Code For America brigades. It's social, low pressure, very newbie friendly, and a great way to meet other people who are passionate about tech. http://www.codeforamerica.org/brigade/ http://www.codeforamerica.org/brigade/
heliodor 12y ago
If Python is your thing, I found the code for the Graphite software easy to browse through and understand. https://github.com/graphite-project https://github.com/graphite-project As a bonus, it's a tool that will come in handy for future projects, whether as a nice-to-have or as a core part.
eposner 12y ago
Anyone interested can reach out to us at Taiga.io, we've built an Open Source, Free agile project management tool. We were named lat year as one of 2014's top Open Source Tools by opensource.com (http://taiga.io http://taiga.io) and our Github repo is here: https://github.com/taigaio https://github.com/taigaio.
chmielewski 12y ago
hedgewars.org
- socceroos 12y ago
  So many years of fun from this game.
ohashi 12y ago
https://github.com/kevinohashi/php-riot-api https://github.com/kevinohashi/php-riot-api Like League of Legends? Enjoy PHP enough to contribute? Right now it's a very simple wrapper, there's few outstanding issues. It could use better documentation, examples, a global rate limiting queue and more functionality could be added. It's mainly just me maintaining it, I get a few contributions here and there. I'd love more developers who are interested in building LoL sites to use and help extend/maintain it.

131 points by thatsnotme 12y ago

Please link to the GitHub pages or the repo page, and also mention the prerequisites.

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mikkel 12y ago

http://www.codetriage.com/ http://www.codetriage.com/ lets you view projects by the number of open issues. I'm not sure how to gauge the beginner-friendliness of the projects.

kevinaloys 12y ago

http://www.openhatch.com http://www.openhatch.com A website for ongoing opensource projects in python.

keithxm23 12y ago
They're a great resource, not limited to python projects though. Besides providing help on choosing a project, they also coach you on how to approach an open source project and what to expect in the open source world. They have a bunch of talks regarding the same which are worth checking out.

eatitraw 12y ago

I have an online friend who contributes to firefox. They are fairly beginner-friendly, though you probably need to have some C++ skills. https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/contribute/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/contribute/

k__ 12y ago
I contributed to Firefox. The Mozilla guys are awesome. But if you are used to Github/PRs their Bugzilla/Hg-Patches workflow feels like going back in time... way back to the old days.
- jordigh 12y ago
  Ignore anything about MQ. They have old docs on using MQ that we've been trying to wean them away from. Modern hg is far better than MQ, and in some situations, better than git. You can edit, you can rebase, you can amend, you can evolve.
  - k__ 12y ago
    MQ?
    - jordigh 12y ago
      Mercurial queues. I thought that's what you meant with "patches".
      - k__ 12y ago
        Ah yes. MQ was the plugin used to create those patches, now I remember. They stopped using? Even on the main Firefox repo?
        jordigh 12y ago
        Like git, Linux, Mercurial, and gcc development, they have a patch-based code review flow, but MQ is not needed to produce the patches that they expect. You can do the same without MQ, and they will never know the difference on their end. I actually rather like email-based code review. It's really easy to keep editing and rebasing your patch while people comment on it. If Mercurial Evolve picks up, this will be an awesome new way to work, especially if Kallithea or Bitbucket grows the features to support it. However, current Mozilla development, AIUI, is moving towards ReviewBoard, although I have heard a growing mutinous group in Mozilla who just wants to chuck all homegrown solutions and slap all of their code on github like everyone else.
- indygreg2 12y ago
  We know. One of those things that was established 10+ years ago and has a lot of built-up inertia keeping it going. It's part of my job role at Mozilla to bring this process into modernity. We're getting there. Slowly. GitHub pull requests will be supported in some form. Hopefully by July.
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jgraham 12y ago
You absolutely don't need C++ skills to contribute to Mozilla. They are of course required to contribute to gecko, but that's only one possible contribution option. Others are: * Firefox UI and devtools. Written in a combination of js, HTML and XUL, with some C++ in the backend. * Automation and tools. Mostly Python-based, this is the infrastructure used to test Firefox and related projects. * Servo. The next-generation browser engine being written in Rust. * Gaia UI. The Firefox OS interface and associated apps. All written in JS + HTML. * Firefox for Android UI. Written in Java like other android apps. * Various web tools. Typically written in HTML + JS + Python, but backends differ (there's an increasing amount of node.js, Bugzilla is in Perl, etc.) * QA and testing. Writing testcases for the web platform and other browser features. Typically requires HTML and JS skills, and well as the ability (for Platform tests at least) to read specifications. * MDN. Documentation of Mozilla projects and the Web platform. Requires writing (not necessarily in English!) and good technical understanding. That's just off the top of my head, I'm sure that there are a bunch more projects someone will be annoyed I've missed ;) There's a more detailed list of the projects by technology at [1]. I like to believe that Mozilla is quite good at welcoming new contributors; it's certainly something we work at, although there are of course always opportunities to improve. There's a page of getting-started tutorials at [2], a database of bugs with assigned mentors grouped by technology at [3], and a dedicated irc channel #introduction on irc.mozilla.org. It is true that not every Mozilla project uses a familiar GitHub workflow, but it true that many recent projects do. For example Servo and Gaia are both fully GitHub-centric. For the more aged projects using Mercurial, we are in the process of moving from a patch-based workflow to a more modern branch-based one, with review in ReviewBoard. So there is still a learning curve there, but it's at least getting better. And finally — because this is my own special interest — if you are tired of web browsers having troublesome incompatibilities and want to be part of the solution, consider contributing to the open-source web-platform-tests testsuite at the W3C [4], [5]. This is a expanding repository of tests covering the open web that are being run against every single commit to Gecko (and Servo!) so that the developers are aware of implementation errors before they become interoperability issues. [1] http://www.whatcanidoformozilla.org/ http://www.whatcanidoformozilla.org/ [2] http://codefirefox.com/ http://codefirefox.com/ [3] http://www.joshmatthews.net/bugsahoy/ http://www.joshmatthews.net/bugsahoy/ [4] https://github.com/w3c/web-platform-tests https://github.com/w3c/web-platform-tests [5] http://testthewebforward.org http://testthewebforward.org

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workonononon 12y ago

http://www.freesbd.org/ http://www.freesbd.org/ A fun open source operating system. Some C knowledge required.

smhenderson 12y ago
Your link is off[1]. For their guidelines on submitting and viewing existing bugs start here[2]. http://www.freebsd.org http://www.freebsd.org https://www.freebsd.org/support.html https://www.freebsd.org/support.html
honest_joe 12y ago
You say some C knowledge required when we are talking about a complicated UNIX kernel. right..."some"knowledge is really required...
- workonononon 12y ago
  There is a userspace too, if you find kernels scary. In reality though, the kernel is simpler than userspace in some ways. The website could also use work. That's HTML/JS, you don't need kernel or C experience.

jordigh 12y ago

I find Mercurial very easy to work with. You just need to know some 2.x Python. Here's the repo: http://selenic.com/hg http://selenic.com/hg And here's their list of easy bugs: http://bz.selenic.com/buglist.cgi?keywords=easy&list_id=5790 http://bz.selenic.com/buglist.cgi?keywords=easy&list_id=5790 Contributor guidlines: http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/ContributingChanges http://mercurial.selenic.com/wiki/ContributingChanges If you're interested, I could mentor you through some of it. Edit: Oh, and this appears to be our April Fool's Prank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtAuQXeQrMQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtAuQXeQrMQ

MaxGabriel 12y ago

I strongly recommend trying to contribute to a project that you personally use. Once you've been using it for awhile, you'll be better equipped to make changes to it + you'll maybe find bugs that you can fix. While you're doing this, mark yourself as a watcher of the project on Github, that way you can see bug reports come in and maybe fix them. You can try to contribute to just any project someone here suggests, but I find it hard to get motivated + be skilled enough in that language/project to just start contributing. Can you talk about your current skills and what kind of languages/libraries you're using now, or are interested in learning?

thatsnotme 12y ago
I know C and also Javascript/jQuery/CSS/HTML and I want to work on a project, so as to apply what I've learnt into something that is actually useful.
- creichert 12y ago
  I strongly agree with MaxGabriel. I find it difficult to make meaningful contributions to projects which I don't use or have some familiarity with. I am significantly more motivated to make contributions to projects which I have invested my time in. My advice is to start small. Look into making documentation updates and fixing bugs you find in projects you currently use. Expand your open source toolset as you build more and repeat the process.
- markvdb 12y ago
  I see a lot of good general advice, but not too many specific examples. Here's a very specific one... If you want to do C and get an introduction to a bit of arm assembly, you may want to contribute a new model build to CHDK, the Canon Hack Developer Kit. There are always new models out that need support, like the Canon PowerShot Elph(US)/Ixus(EU) 160. See http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Porting http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Porting for some hints to get started. The CHDK core devs are really friendly and often available on IRC and forums. That helps a lot.

ywecur 12y ago

This Hacker News app for Android is relatively small and readable, plus it would be great to get some more contribution going. Look into it. https://github.com/dinosaurwithakatana/hacker-news-android https://github.com/dinosaurwithakatana/hacker-news-android

Dewie 12y ago
Great! My shadow ban has been kind of subtle on the normal (desktop) HN version, but it was kind of too obvious on the mobile version. I think HN can do much better passive aggressive-wise, and waste people's time even more, on the mobile version. I intend to delve into that code base so that the mobile version can be as cryptic and still-works-but-kind-of-stand-off-ish like the desktop, with random long loading times, "you're submitting too fast" messages, shadow banned comments, etc. Again, thanks for bringing that to my attention! Passive aggressive bans will soon be a force on mobile, too!

pbreit 12y ago

Web2py Python framework was in fact originally created by a professor to assist in education. I'm a total novice and my contributions have been welcomed warmly. https://github.com/web2py/web2py/ https://github.com/web2py/web2py/

ridiculous_fish 12y ago

The answer is "all of them!" ESR wrote "Every good work of software starts by scratching a developer's personal itch." You'll be much more effective working on a program that you use and want to make better, compared to a beginner-friendly project that you have no interest in. Instead of looking externally for projects, look inwards. Think about the software you already use, and how it could be better: that stupid annoying behavior, or that obvious improvement, or your idea for a cool feature. And then set your sights on that! An example: I was a big fan of the game Angband, which I played on Mac OS 9. When OS X came out, I wanted to play Angband again. So I "carbonized" it, so I (and others) could play it on OS X. I had never carbonized a program before, and that's how I learned. I apologize for not really answering the question, but I have known aspiring programmers give up because they got bored. "Not being bored" is really important, more important than "not being frustrated."

joe_the_user 12y ago
This is seriously not true. I've had experiences of projects I tried to get involved because I liked the software but where the maintainer had zero interest in involving any new people. It's lovely that developers scratch itches and create cool software - there isn't anything that implies those same people want to work with other new people. I'm glad you had a good experience and maybe I was unlucky or whatever but I don't think mere interest in the software is enough, the project has to be in a state where the developers want other programmers involved (lots of projects would like some testers and documenters but nothing else and to an extent understandably). I mean, I'm not sure why guidance towards accessible projects is a bad thing. Edit: Oh I knew I'd get reactions. Counter-arguments? A lot of professional software teams have a hard time adding new people. Why would any old open source project be easy to get involved with? Edit2: I love the idea of open source, I want to get involved again in a larger project when I have time but the "no problems" guidance approach seems itself a problem. Lots of projects are even infamous for problems. There's clearly more to what project you'd be a fit for than "what you love" and just leaving that as the advice seems like a characteristic problem of open source itself.
- mordocai 12y ago

chatmasta 12y ago

Does anyone have a good writeup on the workflow for contributing to open source Python projects? I often fix small bugs, but it's a pain because I usually install via pip, then when I realize there is a bug, and fixing it myself is the fastest way to resolve it, I have to go out of my way to do so. I have to remove the pip package, fork the original repo, clone it into the repository of my current project (where I would rather it not be) and load it directly as a module. Then I can edit the source code, find the bug, fix, commit, and pull request. But at that point my project's code depends on its own local copy of the buggy repo until the upstream repo finally merges the fix (if ever). If anyone has a better workflow for fixing ad hoc bugs you discover while integrating an open source library into your project, I would love to hear it.

kmike84 12y ago
If you have a public repository anywhere (e.g. you've forked a project on github) then you can add a specific git commit to the requirements instead of pypi version. See https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/reference/pip_install.html#vcs-support https://pip.pypa.io/en/latest/reference/pip_install.html#vcs...
- chatmasta 12y ago
  Exactly what I was looking for. This is why I come to HN. Very clever. Thanks.

thisjustinm 12y ago

GovCode helps you find US Government open source projects at https://www.govcode.org/ https://www.govcode.org/ You can filter by language and see open issues.

metajack 12y ago

The Servo project[1] has a constantly maintained list of bugs and features appropriate for new contributors, and several people willing to mentor if needed. There is so much low hanging fruit building a new browser engine, that there is plenty of stuff to work on even if you aren't yet an expert on browser engines. Also, you get to use a new programming language :) [1] https://github.com/servo/servo https://github.com/servo/servo

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kinduff 12y ago

https://www.openhub.net/ https://www.openhub.net/ it's a great site to search projects in any language

dataker 12y ago

I'd first learn git basics and start my own 'testing' repos. Then, I'd start contributing to certain frameworks, libraries, modules/gems I use in my own side-projects. Regardless, the rule of thumb is to not be afraid of contributing. As a beginner, that's usually the biggest issue.

henrik_w 12y ago

Ned Batchelder has a good page with "Kindling projects" http://nedbatchelder.com/text/kindling.html http://nedbatchelder.com/text/kindling.html

BrianEatWorld 12y ago

My first experience with an open source project was just a small github repo for a library I wanted to use. I noticed some TODOs in the code and fleshed them out. Even now, the repo only has four contributors, but the others were quite helpful when I had questions. I have yet to move onto a big project, but it was a nice introduction to that kind of distributed coordination needed for open source repos.

awwstn 12y ago

The Assembly (http://assembly.com http://assembly.com) community is a great way to get involved in building products. The community builds businesses together, and everyone shares ownership based on what they've contributed. (also, it's all open sourced under AGPL). It can be a great way to expand your skills as a developer and also to gain experience working with designers and solving problems around growth, product positioning, pricing, and all sorts of other things. [disclosure: I work at Assembly -- happy to answer any questions: austin@assembly.com]

brylie 12y ago

We are building a collaborative platform for creating open educational resources, called Crowducate. We have many ways to get involved such as testing, planning new features, outreach, translation, and a few JavaScript tasks. Our sourcecode is on Github: https://github.com/Crowducate/crowducate-next https://github.com/Crowducate/crowducate-next Planning documents are on Hackpad: https://crowducate.hackpad.com https://crowducate.hackpad.com

amjith 12y ago

I am the author of pgcli. (https://github.com/amjith/pgcli/ https://github.com/amjith/pgcli/) It is written in Python and it is being actively developed. You can find some notes on getting started with development here: http://pgcli.com/develop http://pgcli.com/develop It is a command line client for Postgres database. I'll be more than happy to answer questions or help you get started. My email is amjith.r [at] gmail. Feel free to get in touch.

corbinpage 12y ago

Ruby gems are a good example, especially gems that provide hooks into an API. Even if you're just adding another parameter to an existing endpoint (which is largely a copy/paste exercise), it's a great way to learn the structure of a gem, learn your way around API documentation, and check out others' best practices and unit tests. I contributed to the official Instagram gem during my first few weeks of learning Ruby. https://github.com/Instagram/instagram-ruby-gem https://github.com/Instagram/instagram-ruby-gem Prereqs: Ruby, API basics

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malexi5 12y ago

Mozilla.org is always looking for web developers to contribute and beginners are always welcome. This wiki page gives an overview of how to get started and a list of "good first bugs." https://wiki.mozilla.org/Webdev/GetInvolved/mozilla.org https://wiki.mozilla.org/Webdev/GetInvolved/mozilla.org

BorisMelnik 12y ago

One thing a lot of people don't realize is you don't have to be a developer to work on open source products. You can do design work (logos, branding) and lots of other stuff. Documentation is endless, and not just technical documentation there are a lot of features that just need to be explained in plain English (or plenty of other languages as well)

jlukic 12y ago

I agree it can be difficult getting into the social conventions of a project. I try to keep a list of places that people can contribute effectively in the readme for my project. https://github.com/Semantic-Org/Semantic-UI/#places-to-help https://github.com/Semantic-Org/Semantic-UI/#places-to-help

sytse 12y ago

For GitLab we have a list of items that are marked 'accepting merge/pull requests' on http://feedback.gitlab.com/forums/176466-general/status/796455 http://feedback.gitlab.com/forums/176466-general/status/7964... There are more than 180 items, including things that should be relatively easy for a Rails programmer. For more information see https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/blob/master/CONTRIBU...

aleem 12y ago

Start with a project you use or depend on in your own projects. It's probably best to start by enhancing or adding a feature on that project. Other things to look for is a project that is managed by people who a receptive to pull requests and have accepted them routinely. Also look for projects that have lot of issues open and closing on a routine basis--this will mean the project is in active development. This will keep you motivated and provide you with some good mentors who may accept or suggest improvements to your pull requests. Along the way you will probably learn about forking repos, writing good commits, sending pull requests and most of all, contributing code. More mature projects have a lot of tooling such as running unit tests, adhering to coding standards, etc which can create hurdles to entry bfor beginners but if you do venture forth with these you'll develop some great habits.

r0naa 12y ago

I strongly recommend taking a look to bugs ahoy maintained by some amazing people at the Mozilla Foundation. It's a great way to start contributing to a large codebase by solving some "easy" bugs. Check it out http://www.joshmatthews.net/bugsahoy/ http://www.joshmatthews.net/bugsahoy/

ben_straub 12y ago

If you read something in Pro Git that could be better, or if you find a mistake, we're taking contributions at https://github.com/progit/progit2 https://github.com/progit/progit2. The only requirement is that you agree to license your contribution under the CC BY-NC-SA license.

ksenzee 12y ago

I would look at the list of projects Google has accepted for Google Summer of Code (https://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/org/list/public/google/gsoc2015 https://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/org/list/public/google/g...). They should all be mature enough to have established protocols for newcomers, and with luck they'll be friendly enough for you to feel welcome. (Drupal is on that list, and as a contributor I can certainly vouch for it in both those areas.)

brlcad 12y ago
Even better, I would recommend looking at the Google Code-In organizations. Those communities are specifically set up to deal with new inexperienced contributors whereas many GSoC orgs simply are not: https://www.google-melange.com/gci/org/list/public/google/gci2014 https://www.google-melange.com/gci/org/list/public/google/gc... The GCI orgs all have loads of tiny tasks spelled out that can be completed in less than a day too.

greghendershott 12y ago

I sometimes put a `help-wanted` tag on GitHub issues I think are especially well-bounded items someone could contribute. It looks like other people use that tag, too: https://github.com/search?l=&p=2&q=state%3Aopen+label%3Ahelp-wanted&ref=advsearch&type=Issues&utf8=%E2%9C%93 https://github.com/search?l=&p=2&q=state%3Aopen+label%3Ahelp... You can further filter that by language, or other criteria.

sfilipov 12y ago

If that is something that interests you, I would recommend Django and it's "easy pickings": https://code.djangoproject.com/query?status=!closed&easy=1 https://code.djangoproject.com/query?status=!closed&easy=1

blooberr 12y ago

I was asked this same question awhile back and I recommended Fluentd: https://github.com/fluent/fluentd https://github.com/fluent/fluentd It's in ruby, very easy to understand, and also extremely useful. You can also extend it with plugins, which is simple for a beginner to pick up.

andrey-p 12y ago

This could be a pretty good idea for a recurring post, a la Who's Hiring. Probably less regular I guess.

aepearson 12y ago

Is there a reason you want to work on an open source project? If you're a beginner, why not start your own project based on something you personally need?

icanberk 12y ago

If you have some knowledge of web-apps, you can work on: https://github.com/autolab/Autolab https://github.com/autolab/Autolab

gorkemcetin 12y ago

I'd suggest projects based on Javascript or a similar easy to learn language, which lowers down the barrier to entry. You may want to check Countly (http://github.com/countly/countly-server http://github.com/countly/countly-server), a mobile analytics and push notifications platform.

brlcad 12y ago

The open source projects that participate in Google Code-In (GCI) cater to beginners with little to no experience: https://www.google-melange.com/gci/org/list/public/google/gci2014 https://www.google-melange.com/gci/org/list/public/google/gc... For GCI, they have to maintain lists of tiny tasks that can be completed in just a few hours. You don't have to be participating in GCI to work on those tasks. They will also have people in their community interested in helping you. Source: I'm the admin for one of the GCI orgs.

socceroos 12y ago

Come and work on mine. Realty Manager on Github

geofft 12y ago

What are you interested in? What languages have you used before? What OS do you run on your desktop?

geofft 12y ago

What are you interested in? What languages have you used before? What OS do you run on your desktop?

amorphid 12y ago

I've had a lot of fun working with Code For America brigades. It's social, low pressure, very newbie friendly, and a great way to meet other people who are passionate about tech. http://www.codeforamerica.org/brigade/ http://www.codeforamerica.org/brigade/

heliodor 12y ago

If Python is your thing, I found the code for the Graphite software easy to browse through and understand. https://github.com/graphite-project https://github.com/graphite-project As a bonus, it's a tool that will come in handy for future projects, whether as a nice-to-have or as a core part.

eposner 12y ago

Anyone interested can reach out to us at Taiga.io, we've built an Open Source, Free agile project management tool. We were named lat year as one of 2014's top Open Source Tools by opensource.com (http://taiga.io http://taiga.io) and our Github repo is here: https://github.com/taigaio https://github.com/taigaio.

chmielewski 12y ago

hedgewars.org

socceroos 12y ago
So many years of fun from this game.

ohashi 12y ago

https://github.com/kevinohashi/php-riot-api https://github.com/kevinohashi/php-riot-api Like League of Legends? Enjoy PHP enough to contribute? Right now it's a very simple wrapper, there's few outstanding issues. It could use better documentation, examples, a global rate limiting queue and more functionality could be added. It's mainly just me maintaining it, I get a few contributions here and there. I'd love more developers who are interested in building LoL sites to use and help extend/maintain it.